Pieces of furniture typically utilize one or more cushions to support users of the furniture. The cushions are compressible and provide comfort to a user residing on the cushion. The cushions typically come with a firmness or level of support that is approximately the same for each cushion on the piece of furniture. Users of the furniture, however, come in varying sizes and therefore varying weights and may prefer differing amounts of firmness or levels of support. Because the size of the users of the furniture can vary substantially, a cushion that is designed with a standard or fixed firmness or level of support may not provide the desired comfort to a user of that piece of furniture. Additionally, regardless of the size of the user, some users may prefer a firmer support while others prefer a softer support. Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a cushion for a piece of furniture that has a comfort level that can be adjusted.
Attempts have been made to provide a cushion with varying levels of support. For example, typical cushions consist of a foam core that is encased within a cover. The cover typically has some type of closure mechanism that can be opened to allow access to the interior of the cushion. To adjust the initial level of support or initial feel, polyester fiber is inserted inside the cushion cover to attain a customized level of initial support for the user of the cushion. The use of polyester fiber, however, results in a short term solution as polyester fiber has poor rebound memory which can result in a reduction of 10%-15% of the height within a short period of time. The lack of rebound memory effects the level of initial support provided by the cushion and may also result in an undesirable appearance for the cushion (i.e., lumpy or unevenness). Thus, it would be desirable to provide a cushion for use with furniture that has an adjustable level of support and maintains an aesthetically pleasing appearance. Additionally, it would be advantageous if each cushion of a piece of furniture could be individually customized to provide a customized level of support for users of that portion or cushion of the piece of furniture.